On February 7, US President Joe Biden at a joint press conference in Washington with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Washington is considering providing alternative energy to Europe to compensate for the potential shortage of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia if the West imposes sanctions on Moscow over the situation in Ukraine.
President Joe Biden affirmed that the US could make up for "significantly" of the energy shortage.
However, former Canadian diplomat Patrick Armstrong told Sputnik: "C bouncing Nord Stream 2 would only cost Russia money but would actually cause damage to Germany and the US LNG would not be able to cover the shortage."
Mr. Armstrong pointed out that Germany is caught between the US's pressure to impose new economic sanctions on Russia and its natural advantage of having good relations with Moscow and importing much-needed energy.
"Germany in particular and Europe in general are being forced to face an issue they do not want to face. Their dependence on Washington will destroy them. The letter from Russia has pushed them to this choice," said Mr. Armstrong.
For three of the century, Germany has served US demands, and this attitude has been so profound that leaders in Berlin seem unable to challenge it, Mr. Armstrong commented.
I know where their best interests are, but I dont know what they will do compliance with the US has become a deep-lying element of German structures, he said.
Mr. Armstrong noted that Germany has been pushed into a energy dilemma due to repeated misunderstandings by US leaders of Russia's leaders and policies.
Armstrong said: Russia will not encroach on Ukraine unless it is for any other reason than not wanting to be stuck with the bill. However, he added that Russia would "destroy" Ukrainian forces if they invaded the self-proclaimed regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
According to Mr. Armstrong, such a limited response will raise more complex questions for German leaders.
Famous military and historical strategist and retired US Army colonel Doug Macgregor believes that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz does not intend to harm the warm diplomatic and trade relations between Germany and Russia.
It seems that Chancellor Scholz will not put Nord Stream 2 at risk because of Germanys long-standing positive economic ties with Russia and the harmful effects of such actions on Berlins interests in reducing dependence on nuclear energy, Macgregor said.
However, Chancellor Scholz has just taken office and may be more concerned about challenging the US government, according to Mr. Macgregor.
"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is a new signing to his job. He could see doing nothing ahead of events in Ukraine as risking Berlin's relationship with Washington," Macgregor said.
When put into operation, the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 will bring natural gas from Russia to Europe. The pipeline runs from Russia directly to Germany across the Baltic Sea, parallel to Nord Stream 1. Experts say Nord Stream 2 will not significantly increase Russia's natural gas exports to Europe, but it could redirect - meaning more natural gas will flow directly to Germany and could bypass other existing pipelines running through other European countries, most notably Ukraine.
The US considers the pipeline a geopolitical tool of Russia to undermine Europe's energy security and national security. Ukraine also sees this in the same direction and wants the gas pipeline to stop operating.
